The dining table looks a bit long for the space, as there's only 30 inches clearance at each end. If you plan to have chairs at each end, there is even less clearance. No big deal, just shorten the table somewhat. I'm not sure you'd lose any seating, as a shorter table would comfortably allow chairs at either end. Or, get a table that extends, so you can squeeze 10 people when you have to but normally keep it at 8 people.

The French doors could open the other way, so as to not swing into the dining table and the chairs/people on that side.

The storage room might not work well. Since it is narrow with the door on a short end, all you can really have in the 2/3rd of the room not occupied by the freezer is some very shallow shelves, and only where they won't block the freezer door swing. If the room were accessed through a door on the long side (move the buffet/hutch) then you'd have more usable room.

For the oven, I would not put it next to the refrigerator, because that eliminates the landing space for the refrigerator, and shrinks that counter run from a spacious 5.5 ft to a tight and somewhat cave-like 3 ft. Suppose you put the oven where the desk is drawn. It is within easy reach of the cook but not taking up space at the center of the kitchen or cutting up a counter. The desk can be where the pantry is. The pantry - since you have 24 sq ft of storage room w/ freezer, perhaps a separate pantry isn't necessary? Or, see next . . .

I don't know if the broom closet deserves a spot in the prime, central working area of the kitchen. It might be bigger than needed, too. 2.5 feet will hold more brooms than you have people to wield them. That space might be better used as . . . the pantry.

I know the sink looks better centered in the island, but that only leaves 2.5 ft of workspace on either side. If you tend to do prep next to the sink, you might want more space on one side (whichever side you prefer to prep at), at the expense of the other side. I realize the dishwasher needs to fit. Maybe you can lengthen the island by a foot.

I've attached a crudely modified layout.

The prep zone is to the right of the sink, convenient to the pantry (former broom closet) and the appliance garage. Easy to pivot and access the oven. The microwave could be located over the appliance garage.

The wash zone is on the other side of the sink. It slightly interferes with the cook zone, but maybe the range could be shifted a tad to the right.

There is also that inside corner of the counter - which could be another appliance garage for coffeemaker, etc. Nice to keep the beverage-making out of the way of the person who's doing the main prep.

The desk is off by itself, away from kitchen clutter and vice-versa. Means you could have an actual furniture piece, if you're into antique roll-tops or that sort of thing, since you don't have to coordinate the desk style/material with the kitchen counter/cabinets.

first of all i think you did a beautiful job. I would take out the broom closet where you have it and put it next to the pantry. A broom closet certainly isn't needed in a work triangle. I would then put your advantium where the broom closet is.

Or better still would be to get the desk out of the end of the work area and put it next to the pantry and then move the broom closet to the end of the work area and put the advantium where the broom closet is now. I personally wouldn't want a desk area right on top of my cooking area. You say it's the family computer. So figure you're cooking dinner and the kids are now sitting there trying to do homework?

Thanks johnliu and cpartist. I am still thinking about the changes y'all suggested and sorting thru that, but did want to make a couple of comments for explanation.

DR table size--yes, John, I agree, that table is on the long side. The measurements shown are when it's fully extended which will only be for special occasions. Typically, one of the 18" leaves will be removed, leaving it at 86" in length.

French doors--yes, would prob be better for both form and functional purposes to swing the other way...

Storage room--its only real purpose is that it gives us a place to put the freezer closer to the kitchen and it allows it to be in a conditioned space. Currently the freezer is out in the detached garage, which means it works reallly hard during our long, hot Louisiana summers (we're still in the 90's/70's for our hi/lo temps rt now). And I think I'd rather have the additional storage the hutch would give me, as well.

Broom closet size--I do want to maintain the size of it in order to house my rechargeable floor sweeper in it. The location is flexible, though.

Like both of you, my dh had also mentioned switching the desk/broom closet and pantry areas--but if I do that, then I'll have to hear "I told you so"! (JK, he's a great husband, and has been for 18 yrs now :-) ) The other advantage to that is it would reduce some electrical expense b/c the computer connections are already on that side (wall F).

Thanks again for your input; I'm sure I'll be back w/ revisions soon!

Maybe the broom closet can house the swiffer or whatever it is in the lower section, and be a pantry in the upper section. Kind of killing two birds with one stone.

Come to think of it, there will be plenty of storage below and above the wall oven too. So there might effectively be a pantry there already.

On the desk and the DH, think of it as negotiating point. You reluctantly agree to his idea of moving the desk, and in return you get a red convertible. Everyone wins!

I like the overall layout. The sunroom addition (?) looks like a winner. When you get a layout you like, you might draw some elevations (side views) to make sure it looks the way you expect.

You could but the door that accesses the freezer in the family room, and split that closet into two, with just the freezer facing the family room, and a door that faces the sunroom for the other end of the storage closet.

Remember that any door will have to be wide enough to actually get the freezer in and out. That is pretty wide.

{{gwi:1957191}}

LOL John about the negotiating point. I actually ended up w/ this kitchen remodel as a result of a certain someone forgetting my birthday :-D The next day I got a card that told me we could do the kitchen! It's made for a good family joke.

Thanks, palimpsest for the heads-up on door width--I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

Wow, bmore, that would create a whole new set of options. Not sure if I could convince dh to move the door, though.

Keep the good ideas coming, gang...

I have to say I like the second drawing better. In the first layout having to walk around the table to get to the sunroom would drive me crazy - both because it would be a pain for sunroom access and because I hate sitting at a table that people are walking around. When we added our bump out we kept that in mind and put the door to the side so you only walk past one chair to get to it.

Also seems to me that the kitchen in the first drawing would be dark. It's pretty far away from windows in the sunroom but maybe the other windows would make up for it.

If you do go the french door route we recently did a remodel where we added an 11' 3 panel french sliding door with transom above. It's terrific because the panels are huge and the door opening works great during a party but the doors don't impede into either room. The only think I wish I'd done differently is make the slider the far right door instead of the center. I could have had a bigger couch inside and a bigger hot tub outside if I'd have thought of that.

In your other drawing I wonder about putting the sunroom where the kitchen is so that it opens onto the front porch - maybe add more windows on that corner? And relocate the kitchen into the sunroom space. If you did that could you vault the ceiling since it's new space? Maybe add skylights and windows all around? I really love kitchens with tall ceilings that are also dead ends - no traffic goes through them.

Bumping in hopes of getting more input--please...

BTW, just confirmed that the door to the Family Rm cannot be moved, so I need to work within the confines of my original post...

Hoping to get more of your collective wisdom...

I am afraid your above plan fails to meet your goal to have a smooth work flow and efficient layout...The coffee center is far from a water source, there is no storage near the clean up area for dishes, and the traffic pattern from sink to fridge, back to sink, to stove...just isn't as simple as it could be. The sink is handier to the broom closet than to the fridge and stove areas. I have worries, as others have expressed, about traffic being able to get around the table to the sun room, not only because of length, but also depth. You have it drawn without chairs, and remember they will take up room, if like in my house, not always be neatly arranged.

I haven't addressed that in this plan, but did the following:
Coffee is close to the prep sink
Desk is nearby but not taking from valuable kitchen workspace
There is a good and efficient relationship between fridge, prep area and stove.
There is nice dish storage area
There are a few work areas for when guests or the kids want to join in kitchen tasks. --No better way to discourage your kids from wanting to learn to cook and bake than there not being room for them to work. It gets tough for everyone to work together in good humor with all walking on top of each other, trying to reach the same sink and use the same work paths.

I find that with a prep sink, I could've gotten only a single basin sink for the cleanup area. Maybe a way to save is to trade the large 3-basin sink for the 2 smaller sinks. I know that won't offset the charges for the plumbing, but I really think this will make a kitchen that's so much better to work in.

I wasn't sure how best to place the appliance garage, but here's a stab at it.

I hope it helps:

rhome did a nice job with the kitchen, but that dining area with french doors to the sun room gives me a headache.

You're designing a main pathway to a new family room with aisles that are effectively On the other seating area, you need to measure a pair of arms chairs and a side table. They take quite a bit of room and won't fit as drawn.

Not as nice as Bmore's with the doorway moved, but since that's out, here are a couple more stabs at it:

I'm thinking I really like that second layout you posted at 15:21 today, rhome410. I am going to discuss it w/ dh tonight and then go from there. Thanks!

In any case you could have the French Doors swing the other way since they would hinge back against the fixed lites anyway.

I am not defending the placement of a long table across the opening, but there is nothing that says they have to swing in from the sunroom--they don't even exist yet.

I like the second one too but would move the fridge to the end of the cabinets where he has dishes listed. This way it's in the work triangle and it's near to the dining table to make it easy to get things in and out. I'd make the desk area larger (maybe even put in a bookshelf) and put the coffee area where the fridge is in rhome's drawing now. I think with those changes the second one is a big winner and a big improvement.

Not sure if someone has suggested this already but just incase i thought i would mention this....have u thought of doing pocket doors where you have the french doors? It would save a ton of space and worry with table.

cpartist,
Thanks for your input. I am currently playing w/ the frig at the other end, as you have suggested. I really like it being in closer proximity to the table and then I would have a landing space nearby, as well. But, that puts it really far from the range and micro/Advantium, and the DW is in between, also... It's amazing how just a tweak or two can cause such a chain reaction of situations/ scenarios that need to be considered!

The coffee center is not a big deal for us at all; it's actually more that dh wanted a place to keep his coffeemaker out for easy access on the weekends. He doesn't even use it during the week, and only rarely on weekends. So I'm thinking maybe a small hutch could go where rhome has the refrig. and the coffemaker could go there; it wouldn't have to be built-in cab; I might be able to use a freestanding piece of furniture there.

palimpsest,
Thanks for the pocket door idea. I did swing the doors into the sunroom on my latest drawing but I haven't updated it on here yet. Still tweaking that second drawing of rhome410's (on 9/19 @ 15:21 post)--trying to figure out a few logistical issues before I ask some more questions.

Workflow and traffic patterns are important but not the only issue.

One difference between the various options is whether the dining area is it's own separate space with potentially a defining floor material or arches or wall treatment, or is more like a large ''eat-in'' part of the kitchen.

The other difference is the relative sizes of the dining area and the kitchen area, in some of the layouts they are roughly equivalent, in others the kitchen stretches from the stairwell wall almost to the sunroom while the dining area is significantly smaller.

These choices will make a big difference in the ''feel'' and formality - or not - of the space. If you are imagining an elegant holiday dinner with dimmed lights, tall candles and gleaming silver, then the layouts that put the dining table right by the bright lights and clattering of the kitchen island may not be ideal.